The Sheepy Tournament
The Sheepy Tournament will be held on March 3rd – 4th in Hopedale, LA
Skiff Supply Fly Shop 1226 E LA-46 New Orleans, LA
The Sheepy Tournament will be held on March 3rd – 4th in Hopedale, LA
Skiff Supply Fly Shop 1226 E LA-46 New Orleans, LA
GRTU’s Troutfest TX is a nationally recognized event, and the largest of its kind in Texas, bringing out a crowd of over 3,000 people interested in fly fishing and preserving and protecting cold water fisheries. We host this three-day event right on our home water, the Guadalupe River, and it includes a fund-raising banquet, and weekend Expo. Event will be hosted at the Lazy L & L Campground.
33rd Annual Swamp Guides Ball Fishing Tournament
Feb. 3rd -4th, 2023
Islamorada, Florida Keys
All Release – Bonefish, Redfish, Snook
The 9th Annual LKGA Sugarloaf Showdown Fishing Tournament, in support of the Florida Keys Guides Trust Foundation, will be held November 10-12, 2022
The registration and opening of the silent auction will be held on Thursday, November 10th.
Ocean Conservancy will once again partner with us and our banner sponsors including
Costa Del Mar, Hell’s Bay Boatworks, and Papa’s Pilar.
Presented by BTT Platinum Sponsor Costa Sunglasses, the triennial event will bring together stakeholders from across the world of flats fishing—anglers, guides, industry leaders, government agencies, scientists, artists and writers—to celebrate the resource and advance conservation.
PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on Nov. 4th – 5th 2022
The Cowford is a tournament to highlight the pristine spartina estuaries of the Lower St. Johns River, now increasingly threatened by industrial expansion, sedimentation, over-development along the river’s banks and excess nutrient loading from a multitude of sources upstream. ENTRIES WILL BE LIMITED TO 100 (OR 50 BOATS).
Georgia’s first fly only saltwater fishing tournament hosted in Savannah on Sept. 8th -10th 2022
The tournament benefits the Georgia Saltwater Anglers Association. For more information follow the link below.
Press Release:
Angler L. Mark Weeks and Guide Andy Thompson win 48th Annual Don Hawley Invitational Fly
Fishing Tarpon Tournament
48th Annual Don Hawley Invitational Fly Fishing Tarpon Tournament
June 6-10, 2022
Islamorada, Florida Keys
The 48th Annual Don Hawley Invitational Fly Fishing Tarpon Tournament, one of the “Big
Three” tarpon fly tournaments, had relatively consistent daily fishing compared to some previous
years and pulled in a total of 119 releases for the week. Aside from two afternoons of dodging
storms, the Tournament lucked out and had a great week after some major tropical winds
threatened the area just days beforehand. The best fishing took place on the first and last days of
tournament, bringing in 36 and 30 fish, respectively. Afternoon lightening lowered the releases
to 14 on Day 2, then 18 fish on Day 3, and 21 releases on Day 4. Ocean tarpon fishing proved
more difficult than the backcountry during the week. Locating where the fish are is one of the
biggest talents that Guides bring to the team. The Don Hawley attracts some of the best fly
anglers from around the world who are all competitive and passionate about catching the silver
king.
The Don Hawley was the first tarpon tournament to stop the killing, in 1987, of tarpon. Anglers
receive 1000 points for each fish measuring four feet or more caught and released on 12lb tippet,
in accordance with International Game Fish Association rules. The Grand Champion title is
awarded to the Angler and Guide with the most fish caught and released during the five-day
competition. In addition to other awards, Grand Champion names will be added to the Perpetual
Trophy showcasing the names of all past champion anglers and guides. The perpetual trophy
resides at Florida Keys Outfitters in Islamorada, Florida.
Angler L. Mark Weeks from Tokyo, Japan and Nampa, ID and his Guide, Captain Andy
Thompson, won the Grand Championship with 18 releases. This marks the second time the team
will have their names added to the historical perpetual trophy. Weeks said, “Five days feels like
a lifetime in these tournaments, particularly when you’re getting chased off the water by
thunderstorms and are neck-in-neck with several of the best teams to the bitter end.
Lucky for us, Andy knows how to find fish and is a wonderful coach when it comes to
catching them.”
Coming in second place was Angler Evan Carruthers from Maple Plain, MN and his Guide,
Capt. Greg Dini with 16 releases. They earned second place just last year, but this year added an
additional 6 releases to their results from the previous year. Third place was won by Angler Rich
Garcia from Islamorada, FL and his Guide, Luis Cortes with 15 releases. Scott Christian and his
Guide, Chad Huff, earned the High Point Day award with a whopping 8 releases on the first day.
Subsequent days 2, 3, and 4 only had 4 releases each day as the daily high point, earned by L.
Mark Weeks and Capt. Andy Thompson, Julian Robertson and Capt. Rob Fordyce, and Rich
Garcia and Capt. Luis Cortes, in that order. The final day brought 5 releases as the high point
day, won by L. Mark Weeks and Capt. Andy Thompson by time.
The Annual Don Hawley Invitational Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament began in 1974. Proceeds
benefit the Guides Trust Foundation, which assists Florida Keys Guides in times of hardship and
provides scholarships to Florida Keys students interested in the marine sciences. Next year’s
tournament will take place June 5-9, 2023. For more information on the Don Hawley Tarpon
Tournament, the Guides Trust Foundation, our esteemed sponsors, or to apply for the
tournament’s waiting list, please visit: www.guidestrustfoundation.org